This week’s Hezbollah protest in Beirut led to yet another disaster for the city and country. Seven Beirutis died from sectarian fire. Nine individuals have been detained by police, including one Syrian.
Ruins of Lebanese port
The national inquiry into last years massive explosion which killed 200, wounded thousands and destroyed half the city, has entered a decisive phase. In particular, two former ministers responsible for the port have refused to give testimony to the judge chairing the investigation. They are allied with Amal, a close ally of Hezbollah. The latter too fears it may be implicated in the disaster.
Just as it did in the investigation into the assassination of Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, which it was found guilty of orchestrating on Syria’s behalf, Hezbollah is squirming in the hot seat. The closer justice comes to determining its culpability, the more bellicose and threatening it becomes. Nor is it above bringing the entire country to its knees to protect its prerogatives.
Hezbollah militia firing rocket-propelled grenade during protests (Ibrahim Amro/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images)
The joint protest by Hezbollah and Amal ostensibly focused on the Palace of Justice, where Judge Tarek Bitar hears evidence in the case. But then the protesters headed toward the Christian neighborhood of their Maronite enemies. That’s when gunfire broke out. Though no one knows whether the (Christian) Lebanese Forces or (Shiite) Hezbollah started the gunfire, hundreds of the latter’s fighters openly brandished weapons on the street. Eyewitnesses confirm that the shooting started there, after which snipers began firing from nearby buildings.
At this point, it’s less important to assess blame for the deaths of the seven dead Beirutis, though my inclination is clear above. Rather, I want to remind readers of my own reporting of last year. Based on a source close to an Israeli minister, I reported that Israel had targeted a Hezbollah weapons cache stored at the port. The missiles and other weapons which it destroyed there, in turn ignited the far larger inferno which destroyed the city.
For the skeptical, Al Jarida’s Jerusalem correspondent published this report on the disaster a few weeks ago which confirms virtually every aspect of my reporting:
Official regional intelligence sources [sometimes Israeli intelligence sources are thinly veiled by this term] assumed that Israel was the one who launched on that disastrous day a raid on the port, targeting a shipment of spare parts and remote guidance devices, which had arrived by sea from Iran on a Uruguayan-flagged cargo ship days before the explosion.
The sources said that Israel considered the arrival of these equipment items, which are used to direct precision missiles, a red-line and a violation of the Israeli deterrence equation. Therefore, it decided to destroy the shipment in the warehouse, which also contained precision missile warheads.
They recalled that, one year before the port explosion, Israel bombed a rare industrial mixing machine used to make solid fuel in the southern suburb of Beirut, in a complex operation that took place using drones.
They said that Tel Aviv was surprised by the huge explosion caused by the tons of ammonium nitrate stored in warehouse 12.
This is the evidence that Hezbollah seeks to suppress. This is why it demands the firing of the judge hearing the case. The closer he gets to the militant group as a party to the disaster, the angrier it becomes. This protest may be only the beginning. If Judge Bitar continues his relentless probe, Hezbollah will no doubt ratchet up pressure until the judge is fired, resigned, or murdered.
Before anyone blanches at that possibility, I remind you that the chief Lebanese police officer investigating Hariri’s murder was himself killed in a car bomb attack likely orchestrated by Hezbollah or its allies.
I understand there are true believers on the left who see Hezbollah as heroes in the resistance to Israeli aggression. If that was all Hezbollah did, I would have little problem with it. Israel has pummeled Lebanon for decades–invading, massacring, assassinating–and it is critical that there be a force opposing its violations of Lebanese sovereignty. But its behavior within Lebanon is often problematic. Rooted in the pernicious nature of the country’s sectarian politics, each side plays a dangerous game of chicken to determine how close to the edge it can get within hurtling into the abyss. And Hezbollah plays this game to the hilt. That explains the high-stakes theatrics of this week’s disastrous protest.
Silverstein has published Tikun Olam since 2003, It exposes the secrets of the Israeli national security state. He lives in Seattle, but his heart is in the east. He publishes regularly at Middle East Eye, the New Arab, and Jacobin Magazine. His work has also appeared in Al Jazeera English, The Nation, Truthout and other outlets.
Pile it on Richard. Keep piling it on.
I ask anyone gullible or uninformed, to watch the many videos of the Beirut Port explosion and note the sequence of events. A small fire that grows larger, hundreds of exploding fireworks, the arrival of the fire brigade, and than the huge explosion of ammonium nitrate.
The spark which started the fire came from a crew of welders sent to seal a warehouse door. Within minutes of the welders departure, a fire starts within the warehouse.
Richard, without a single shred of direct or circumstantial evidence, blames Israel.
Richard. When did Israel have the opportunity to attack the warehouse that day?
The welders were there all afternoon and the fire brigade was on the scene within minutes of the welders departure.
Why are there no traces of the precision guided missile parts you claim were the target?
Why would Hezbollah store these valuable parts in a warehouse whose door, for months, couldn’t close properly?
Why would Israel attack the warehouse in broad daylight with so many witnesses working at the docks? What happened to the secret underground Hezbollah city under the docks that you alleged? What happened to the sonic evidence you alleged was proof of an Israeli attack? You know, those underwater pings used to search natural gas fields near Cyprus.
Please tell us more about this mysterious Uruguayan ship. The identity and GPS track of the ship would be a good start.
Why not simply take this unique opportunity and apologize to Israel for you’re having published your false story about her involvement in this sad Lebanese affair.
Be a mensch.
@ Ben G: So I’ll let you in on a little secret, Ben. My source has direct contact with a senior Israeli minister who knows exactly what Israel did and why it did it. You can pose as many questions as you want trying desperately to trump my reporting. I could care less about your alleged facts. I know what happened. My source knows what happened. You? You know bupkis.
But before I go, you’ve misstated much of what I wrote in my reporting last year. Just one example, I never said there was an underground city, I said the weapons may have been stored in an underground bunker. You know, the kind Hezbollah built in southern LEbanon when it fought against the IDF?
You’re making one fatal mistake. You’re confusing the amonnium nitrate warehouse with the Hezbollah weapons cache. It was not stored in the same building as the ammonium nitrate. It was obviously close enough by to ignite that. But it was located in a different space entirely. But why am I wasting my time on you?
I will take this unique opportunity to tell you to go fuck yourself. You’re now moderated. Post another POS comment like this again and you won’t publish here again.
You are done in this thread.
[comment deleted: you clearly don’t know what “you are done in this thread” means. Or else you thought you’d defy me. At any rate you’re now banned entirely.]
Many Lebanese Christians support Hezbollah.
The people of Lebanon support Hezbollah.
I find it hard to believe that they would not have been aware that Hezbollah stores weapons caches in dangerous places.
@ Varm: “Many” Christians support Hezbollah? No, the Christians allied with Aoun support Hezbollah. THe Christians allied with Samir Geagea are opposed to Hezbollah. Many more Christians oppose Hezbollah than support it.
And no, the “people of Lebanon” don’t support Hezbollah. The party won approximately 30% of the vote, which isn’t even a majority. Many Lebanese may support Hezbollah’s resistance to Israel. But that doesn’t mean that overall they support Hezbollah.
As for what Lebanese would have been aware of regarding Hezbollah weapons caches, do you think any Lebanese who knew Hezbollah was storing weapons somewhere would have had the courage to complain about this? What would be their fate if they did?
Dear Mr. Silverstein,
I would like to remark that out the international press, for the last several years, this on going “cold” war between wars as Israel name it, caused very little human casualties, and Israel emphasize it. We have noticed that most of those actions are being carried out during nights, in a precise manner in order to avoid/ prevent unnecessary damage.
You claim that Israel attack Beirut’s port at midday, days after the targeted parts were placed there, with a very high probability for human casualties.
It does not fit the action pattern of Israel.
I’ll appreciate your comment on that.
@ A ber: So it’s the old “Israel is careful not to kill civilians and the IDF is the most moral army…” routine, is it? “Very little human casualties?” Really? And where did you hear this fairy tale?
Israel may have many reasons to attack Syria at night. But protecting civilians is probably lowest on the list, if it’s on the list at all. Israel has no problem with causing civilian casualties wherever it attacks, whether in Gaza, Lebanon or Syria.
Israeli intelligence would have known whether there would be civilians in the area it intended to attack. It only intended to bomb the weapons cache, which was a specific target. It probably thought there would be no collateral damage to civilians. It certainly didn’t intend to blow up half the city and kill 200 people. But accidents happen as they say. And they fucked up.
Hello again,
Richard. Has your source, who I believe you said is a reporter with Israel’s Defense Ministry, provided you with any additional, corroborative evidence over the past year that substantiates his claim that Israel caused the Beirut port explosion?
Witness testimony? Forensics?
@ Cillian: No I did not say my source was a reporter with the defense ministry. In fact, this is wrong. But the source learned this information from a senior minister and that’s all I can say.
How would my source have “witness testimony?” Is he going to Beirut to interview victims? Or giving me transcripts of internal intelligence briefings on the operation? And how would my source obtain forensic evidence? Nose around the blast site? Steal evidence from the Lebanese authorities? Get real.
Hello Richard,
I’ll take that as a ‘no’.
Thanks for responding.
Cillian
@Cillian: That’s not just a “No,” it’s a Hell No! Save the snark and fake civility for someone who appreciates it more.
Russia is aware of essentially every flying object in the region. Wouldn’t it know if Israel bombed the port of Beirut? And if it did know such a thing, would it be shy about making that public? It has not been shy about calling Israel out in the recent past.
@ Rex: Israel did not attack the Hezbollah arms cache by air. Most likely it planted a bomb as it did in Natanz.
I’m not sure I understand.
The bomb that Israel detonated was in a different warehouse than the one housing the ammonium nitrate, yet no one saw or heard that explosion in the secret Hezbollah weapons bunker.
The videos only show a fire in the warehouse containing the AN.
@ Cillian: Stop telling us what “no one saw or heard” or what the “videos only show.” You have no idea what anyone saw or heard, nor what the video showed. There is absolutely no proof backing what you claim.
In fact, the video shows two explosions, smaller original one and a much larger 2nd one.
You are done in this thread.
My source told me Nuland was in town and there were right-wing Christian snipers shooting from buildings at demonstrators. This time the military did apprehend some of the shooters instead of the victims.
Another source told me the judge is very biased and under pressure to divert the court to a lets-blame-hezbollah-again case. This time Hezbollah sent a preemptive warning, don’t let some corrupt judge ruin the country and sell it for some dollars.
@ Gary: Bitar is NOT a corrupt judge. 300,000 Beirutis lost their homes and 200 lost their lives. All of them support Bitar. I support victims. Not power brokers, thugs or corrupt elites.
Tikun Olam is giving the view of Greater Israel. The IDF was defeated by Hezbollah a few years ago on the Lebanese Border. The Lebanese Economy has been Robbed by the Head of the Lebanon National Bank,.Thats why they have No Funds for Fuel in the Beirut Power Station. The Port Explosion was caused by incompetance and neglect by the Authorities.
Keep telling lies and blocking every other opinion that is not yours- keep being a youthful and “Democrat” person.
I really like to read your staff but man…sometimes you are talking bullshit
@ Ben: Read the comment rules. I could care less what you think about my editorial decisions. Read the blog or don’t. But no more comments on this subject.